Car-coupling



F. S. SHEFFLEFL CAR COUPLINGr APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1918.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 mi c'o., WASHING-mu, I): c.

ESTATES PATENT FRANK S. SHEEFLER, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent. i PatentedSeptgfl, 1919.

Application filed July 3, 1918. Serial no. 243,224. r a

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK S. SHEF LER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. p

The present invention relates to improvements overU. S. Patent No. 781,791,.issued February 7, 1905, to .myself and C. S. Turner.

The objects of the improvements are princlpally as follows: i

First, to provide a coupler which will not. 7

re-couple after being out or uncoupled, in case it is again forced against the coupler of another car;

Second, to provide a construction which will couple or lockeven though the care be brought together on sharp curves or at high speed; I

Third, to provide means for relieving the knuckle pivot pin of practically all strain; and p Fourth, to provide a coupler which will require little attention and will not necessitate the trainmen riding the cars or running alongside as is now necessary.

lVith the foregoing general objects in view the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which form a partofthis specification and in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views'of the improved coupler in operative position, lookingv in different directions;

Fig. 3 is a duplicate of Fig. 1 with the exception that it shows the coupler and knuckle in open position and. the locking pin supported free of said knuckle;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the coupler head; and

5 is a perspective view of the knuckle Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view showing the manner in which the locking pin may drop to an operative position when coupling at high speed; 7

Fig. 8).

V Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the locking pin;

Fig. 8 is-a top plan view of the coupler with the upper section of the locking pin removed showing the manner in which the hook-like tails of the knuckle clear the looking pin; a

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 with the knuckle locked in closed. position;

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section as indicated by the line 1010 of Fig. 8; and

1 Fig. llis a transverse section as indicated bythe 1in'e'11-11 of Fig. 9.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates any preferredtype orrica gral with its front end and of substantiallythe same type shown in the patent above referred to. The knuckle ,3 is provided with upper and lower hook-like tails 4 which lie upon the upper and lower sides of the head 2 and are pivotedthereto by a pivot pin 5. lVhen the knuckle is closed, the lateral ends 6 of the tails 4 abut the rear sides of upper and lower abutments 7 which are cast integrally with the head 2 and thus practically all strain relieved from the pivot pin 5.

To obviate the necessity of the trainmen opening the knuckle 3 by hand as is now often necessary, "a suitable spring 8 is secured at 9 to thehead 2, said spring being received at its free end in a recess 10 in the inner side of the knuckle and operating to maintain said knuckle in opened position until it is closed by bringing two cars toformed integrally with the head 2 (see full lines of Figs4 and 9, and dotted lines of For holding the knuckles 3 in closed position, a vertical locking pin 12 is mounted slidably in a guideway 13 formed in the r 7 central portion of thehead- 2 the upper end of said pin having a laterally extending head 14 adapted to abut the head 2 to limit the downward movement of the pin and also to rest upon the lateralend 6 of the upper tail 4 when the knuckle is opened, so that closing of this knuckle will permit the pinto drop by gravity to operative position. When coupling at high speed, it often happens that the knuckle is closed so quickly and then again moved outwardly by recoil, that the locking pin 12 cannot is thus held in alraised position and con sequently even; though the knuckle 3 be closed a number of' times by contact-with drop to the full extent, but in order that this pin may even then become operative, the lowerend of its head 1 1 is provided with a right angular notch 15 which receives the rear end of the upper. tail 1 as, illustrated fully in Fig. 6. .When the pin 12 is raised, the beveled intermediate por tion '16 thereof is so positioned as to permit the tails to clear sald pm as Wlll be clear from Figs. 8 and 9, this construction being very similar to that shown in. the patent above mentioned.

1n "'order'that the pin 12 maybe held. in raised position so as not to drop in place until required, the rear side of its head 11f is provided with a hook-like rib 17 to engage a similar rib. 18 formed across the coupler head 2 atthe rear s de ofthe guide.

way 13; and in order t'hat the upper end of the pin may move r'earwardly to a sufficient extenti'to interengage the two ribs,

said pin isformed of upper and flower setions pivotally unitedjby "a link 19 received in-slots"2 0 in "theadj acentendsof said sec 25 ti'ons. A chain 21 is shownrising from the front portion of-the head 1& for connection 'withthe usual means for raising the locking pin, an d due to the .fact that the chain inclines .rearwardly to a slight err-,5

tent 'from the pin, it will shift the upper end .of said pin' rearwardly when the pin is raised, to properly seat the rib 17 upon the corresponding .rib 18. The locking pin 12 other cars, after the coupler, has been reto restupon the end 6 of the upper knuckleleased, said knuckle will not 'lock in its closed position. Whentwo cars are to be coupled, the ribs 17 and 18 are disengaged manually: and the lateral head 14c permitted tail 4 with the knuckle in open position. 1t thusafollows that whenthis knuckle is closed by contact with the other coupler, the pin 12 is permitted to drop by gravity to anoperative position, in which position 1 both tails 4 contact with the pin. It often Copies of this paten t may be obtained for happens that .when coupling on sharp curves, "the'knuck'le is not forced inwardly to such an extent as to permit the pin to drop .when the usual construction'is em ployed. This has been taken care of however by the provision of the notch 15 which allows the pin to lower suiiiciently tobecome el'ective, even though the knuckle is not entirely closed, IThe notch in question is also of advantagein permitting the pin to knuckle takes. when coupling at high speed.

.From; the foregoing, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, it W111;-

be obvious that 1 have ,providedcomparw.

drop at least part way before recoil of the a forked head having one arm relatively narrow in, a vertlcal direction, sald head equaling sa1drelat vely narrow arm.1n'w1dth at its uneture therewith and having an opening leading through both its top and bottom, the portion of the head directly in rear of said opening extending above said narrow arm and having a transverse upstanding flange,

a knuckle having upper and lower parallel 7 arms straddling said relatively narrow arm of said headand pivoted thereto, the upper."

arm of said knuckle having lateral tail, a locking pln vertically slldable- 1n said the upper end .ofsa'id pin having a head which extends laterally'therefrom to'abut the end of the upper arm when the coupler is locked and to rest 'on said tail when the coupler is set for connection with another coupler, said head also extending fromsaid pin in another direction and being here shaped to form a hook -like rib adapted-to hook over the aforesaid flange to retain the pin in released position when it is manually. ra sed to 11101 8 1178 lower end and its ope'nmg andlbearing against the end of the lower arm'when the coupler 1s locked,

head free ofsaid knuckle" arms,qsaid pin 7 being formed of upper and lower sections linked .together to permit engagement of said rib and flange, the lowerside of said laterally extending portion of said head having a notch to receive the end of. the up;-

per knuckle'arm whentrapid rebound of or lIlSllfllClGnt, closing of the knuckle does not permit full dropping of the pin.

2. A car coupler comprising a forked head having one arm relatively narrowin V a vertical direction, a knuckle having par- .110 allel arms straddling and pivoted to said narrow arm, means for locking said amuse;

a spring secured to said narrow arm and bearing against said knuckle to open'the' latter when said lockingmeans is released and Et-YGIUCZtl rib on the outer side of said narrow armto ,l1m1t the openlng of said knuckle.

my hand in the presence of two subscribing wltnesses. i

itnesses: 7. 1, 77

WALTER S. REYNoLDe; JLELDER BRYAN. i

five'eents each, by addressing the Commissioner of'Patents Washington, D. G. I

- ,FRANK s.- SHEFFLER:

. 'lntestimony whereofl'have'hereuntoset; V 

